I hope they are a fad but think they will last a long time. My oldest is 27 and still plays them occaisionally. When I was young reading was my escape but now days it seems that something visual that provides instant gratification is more popular. I really couldn't make an educated guess as to where things are headed because I live near a small town and don't watch TV or listen to the news much and avoid populated areas like the plague So I'm pretty much a country bumpkin.